The Pratchett Portfolio by Terry Pratchett
Character does not lie in two pages of dense depiction, but in modes of speech, the things people say and do not say. Character is the shape they leave in the world. (PP)
He is a coward. He is happy with this description. He would rather people said that Rincewind is a coward than Rincewind was incredibly brave right up to the point where he was bitten in half. (PP)
…Granny Weatherwax doing Good is arguably more to be feared than any other witch doing Bad… (PP)
Her mind is so broad you could use it as a plank. (PP)
People are always giving things to witches. It’s very nice of them. It’s possible that they think it is lucky to do so, but it’s probable that they know it’s unlucky not to. (PP)
She thinks she has a romantic soul. In fact she has a very solid and down-to-earth soul that underpins a romantic mind. (PP)
The Senior wizards of Unseen University are masters of dynamic inactivity. But when danger threatens they can be relied upon to pull together, although not necessarily, it must be said, in the same direction.
It has been pointed out that while they have understood that the first step on the path to wisdom is to become as a small child, they haven’t grasped that there is a second step. (PP)
For Windle, in fact, death marked the first day of the rest of his life. (PP)
There are certainly hidden depths to Nobby, but no one has been brave enough to feel around and find out what’s in them. (PP)
He has survived by never giving up and never playing fair (PP)
... he does the best he can in an imperfect world and calls it the law. (PP)
Detritus has all the qualities of a good policemen: a loud voice, a commanding presence, and the ability not to let imagination get in the way of persistence. (PP)
…Lord Vetinari survives by his wits, and can achieve with irony what most people can’t achieve with steel. (PP)
Lady Sybil is not only unafraid to call a spade a bloody shovel but will employ one enthusiastically when there is a big noxious pile of dragon droppings to shift. (PP)
The dwarfs are Ankh-Morpork’s largest non-human ethnic group. They are acquisitive, argumentative and belligerent when drunk, and therefore fit seemlessly into city society. (PP)
He is a coward. He is happy with this description. He would rather people said that Rincewind is a coward than Rincewind was incredibly brave right up to the point where he was bitten in half. (PP)
…Granny Weatherwax doing Good is arguably more to be feared than any other witch doing Bad… (PP)
Her mind is so broad you could use it as a plank. (PP)
People are always giving things to witches. It’s very nice of them. It’s possible that they think it is lucky to do so, but it’s probable that they know it’s unlucky not to. (PP)
She thinks she has a romantic soul. In fact she has a very solid and down-to-earth soul that underpins a romantic mind. (PP)
The Senior wizards of Unseen University are masters of dynamic inactivity. But when danger threatens they can be relied upon to pull together, although not necessarily, it must be said, in the same direction.
It has been pointed out that while they have understood that the first step on the path to wisdom is to become as a small child, they haven’t grasped that there is a second step. (PP)
For Windle, in fact, death marked the first day of the rest of his life. (PP)
There are certainly hidden depths to Nobby, but no one has been brave enough to feel around and find out what’s in them. (PP)
He has survived by never giving up and never playing fair (PP)
... he does the best he can in an imperfect world and calls it the law. (PP)
Detritus has all the qualities of a good policemen: a loud voice, a commanding presence, and the ability not to let imagination get in the way of persistence. (PP)
…Lord Vetinari survives by his wits, and can achieve with irony what most people can’t achieve with steel. (PP)
Lady Sybil is not only unafraid to call a spade a bloody shovel but will employ one enthusiastically when there is a big noxious pile of dragon droppings to shift. (PP)
The dwarfs are Ankh-Morpork’s largest non-human ethnic group. They are acquisitive, argumentative and belligerent when drunk, and therefore fit seemlessly into city society. (PP)
